Renovations underway at communications center

Work is underway at the 911 call center in Kinston to add more desk space and move equipment to accommodate calls from Jones County. Once the new equipment room is completed, a door will be added to the wall holding the television for entry. The wall on the right will be taken down to expand the call and dispatch area.

Zach Frailey / The Free Press

By Noah Clark / Staff writer

Published: Friday, March 21, 2014 at 07:42 PM.

Renovations to the the Jones-Lenoir County Emergency Communications Center, underway since Feburary, should be completed by the end of the year.

The renovations, along with a backup center being built in Jones County, are part of a 2011 state-recommended agreement between officials in Jones and Lenoir counties to combine 911 call centers.

Paige Johnson, communications operations manager for Lenoir County Emergency Services, said since the centers combined in July everything has ben running smoothly.

“All of the agiences are working really well together,” she said. “There have been no hiccups whatsoever.”

Renovations to the the Jones-Lenoir County Emergency Communications Center, underway since Feburary, should be completed by the end of the year.

The renovations, along with a backup center being built in Jones County, are part of a 2011 state-recommended agreement between officials in Jones and Lenoir counties to combine 911 call centers.

Paige Johnson, communications operations manager for Lenoir County Emergency Services, said since the centers combined in July everything has ben running smoothly.

“All of the agiences are working really well together,” she said. “There have been no hiccups whatsoever.”

Bob Williams, project superintendent and general contractor, said construction in Lenoir County will be interior only.

“We are going to pull some walls down, enlarge their main room and move their computer and data room,” he said. “We are not changing the footprint of the building at all.”

Johnson said once the renovations are complete there will be eight consoles instead of the current six to help handle the extra call volume.

She said the the construction has not disrupted the center’s ability to operate.

“If they have really loud work, they are doing it in the middle of the night or early in the morning,” she said. “We have a light switch that if we get a 911 call and we need them to stop, we flip the switch to let them know we need them to stop. Once that’s completed, we flip the switch again and they go back to work.”

Jones County Manager Franky Howard said the construction on backup center in Jones County is moving along be completed by the middle of spring.

He said the $1.5 million center is being paid for by a state grant and will save the county money. New state regulations would have required Jones County to build its own 911 call center and cost $500,000 to operate. By combining with Lenoir County, the cost is only $200,000 a year. Before the agreement, staffers at the jail were responsible for taking calls.

Also, there are other benefits.

“The main thing for us is to have a dedicated 911 staff person and all they do is 911 calls,” Howard said. “By joining with Lenoir, we’re paying close to $200,000 to offset a regional center. We’re saving money off the cuff and we’re getting our citizens better service. The person they talk to on the phone can give pre-arrival instructions before the ambulance gets there. It’s a service we’re now able to provide for our citizens.”

Howard said the backup center, which is being connected the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, will primarily be used for training, but also as a headquarters for Jones County EMS if disaster strikes or if the Lenoir County center is damaged.

He said while the center is connected to the sheriff’s office, it is separated by a firewall.